McElwain not lowering expectations

Jim McElwain is coming of an SEC East title without a proven quarterback, but that hasn't lowered his expectations for what his Gators can achieve this fall.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To paraphrase the great Western philosopher Larry the Cable Guy: 10 wins and a trip to the SEC championship game is a good season, I don’t care who you are.

But when it’s your first year as a coach in the SEC, double-digit wins and playing for the conference title in Atlanta is a very good season.

Florida’s Jim McElwain concedes all that. He also concedes that after last season he heard from some of his coaching buddies who basically said, “Mac, you screwed up. You win 10 games in your first year and they’ll expect it all the time.”“Yep, some of them said we won too early,” says McElwain, who will put the finishing touches on his second spring at Florida with Friday night’s Orange and Blue game at The Swamp. “That’s OK. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

In many ways 2015 was a perfect first season for McElwain at Florida because it contained all the elements: There was early success, like the emotional 28-27 comeback win over Tennessee, which showed the players that McElwain and his staff knew what they were doing.